Chapter 35: The Proposal

A well-written resume is often indicative of a person’s writing ability, and this proposal from Woomin Industries was exceptionally good for a company with no prior export experience. Normally, when receiving proposals from companies seeking assistance with exports, it wasn’t uncommon to request additional information two or even three times due to gaps in their plans.

In contrast, Woomin Industries’ submission was remarkably clean and thorough, which was quite impressive for such a small, inexperienced firm.

Lim Ho-jin glanced over the documents once more before asking Lee Sangsub, “What do you think we should do?”

Lee Sangsub pondered Lim Ho-jin’s question briefly before turning to Kang Jin.

“Mr. Lee Kang-jin.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You mentioned earlier that there were some psychological inconsistencies in their signals during the meeting, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmm…” In response to Kang Jin’s observation, Lee Sangsub silently examined the documents again.

Kang Jin watched him closely and then asked, “Who exactly attended the meeting on their behalf?”

“The president of Woomin Industries.”

“Was it the person you were talking to or the silent one next to him?”

“The person I was talki—”

Lee Sangsub paused mid-sentence and cocked his head.

“I think the president might have been taking orders from the other man.”

Kang Jin nodded in agreement.

“It seemed that way to me as well.” He then turned to Lim Ho-jin. “When Lee Sangsub mentioned he’d contact us after confirming some details yesterday, the president appeared to be seeking approval from the person accompanying him. That suggests the other individual is actually calling the shots.”

“Someone outranks the president?” Lim Ho-jin muttered quietly, turning to look at Lee Sangsub.

“So who’s this person with him?”

“He introduced himself as an employee…but thinking back on it, I don’t think that’s accurate.”

“That makes sense. A president wouldn’t defer to his own subordinate.” Lim Ho-jin pondered for a moment before turning to Lee Sangsub. “Cancel the deal.”

“Yes, sir.”

Lee Sangsub nodded without further questions; he had lost interest anyway. Meeting quarterly targets was important, but they weren’t about to pursue something that felt off from the start.

As Lee Sangsub closed his file, everyone else followed suit. The meeting then proceeded to discuss other business matters.

Afterward, Kang Jin and Choi Donghae stayed behind to clean up.

“All documents discussed during the meeting must be shredded,” Lee Sangsub instructed them before leaving the room.

Kang Jin and Choi Donghae began clearing away the papers along with leftover snacks consumed during the meeting.

As Kang Jin cleared away the snacks, he glanced at Park Chungman nearby. The older man was looking through some documents, but it seemed like he could only see what was already open on his desk.

Kang Jin whispered to him, “What will happen to Knife Dining?”

“It’s not like they don’t have other options for export agents. They’ll just place orders elsewhere. And…I suspect they’ve already made arrangements with other companies besides us.”

“Really?”

“When buying something, people usually shop around, right?” Park Chungman then looked up at Kang Jin. “It seems to bother you, but don’t worry about it. In this line of work, deals can fall apart even right before shipping. We’re fortunate it happened before we started any actual work.”

Kang Jin nodded and glanced at the documents.

“What’s caught your eye?”

“I was browsing what items have been selling well lately.”

“And did you find anything interesting?”

“There were quite a few intriguing ones.”

As Park Chungman pointed to some papers, Choi Donghae opened the door and entered.

“Mr. Lee Sangsub is looking for you.”

“I’ll be right there.”

While Kang Jin gathered up his files, Park Chungman watched him with disappointment before following along. As they exited the conference room towards their office, Kang Jin looked back at Park Chungman trailing behind him.

“Aren’t you heading out?”

“It feels like I’m employed again, just reviewing these documents after so long. If it’s okay with you, may I accompany you when you arrive and leave work?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Since nobody could see Park Chungman anyway, it didn’t matter whether he accompanied Kang Jin during commutes. Plus, traveling together would provide ample opportunities to learn from him.

With this thought, Kang Jin returned to his desk.

“Did you shred those documents?”

“I’ll do it now.”

After shredding the papers, Lee Sangsub addressed Kang Jin and Choi Donghae.

“Do either of you know any English?”

“A little bit,” replied Kang Jin.

Lee Sangsub then turned toward Choi Donghae.

“I scored nine hundred on TOEIC.”

Lee Sangsub shook his head.

“Listening comprehension…and speaking…” He paused before changing topics. “What’s your favorite food?”

Kang Jin noticed that Lee Sangsub was speaking in English.

“I’m not picky when it comes to food.”

Seeing Choi Donghae respond fluently, Lee Sangsub continued questioning them both in English.

Finally, Lee Sangsub looked at Kang Jin. “Your English sounds quite accented, Mr. Lee Kang-jin.”

“It might be because I learned English while working part-time at a bar in Itaewon.”

Kang Jin’s English proficiency likely stemmed from dealing with drunk foreigners while working part-time at bars in Itaewon. Lee Sangsub observed Kang Jin for a moment before giving instructions.

“From now on, when calls come to our office, both of you should answer them. If someone asks for another person, transfer the call; otherwise, take notes and relay the message. Under no circumstances should you make any promises or commitments.”

“Yes, sir.”

Even after assigning this simple task, Lee Sangsub provided several precautions. He then suddenly turned to Choi Donghae.

“Donghae, do you know about car exports to Africa?”

“I believe it involves exporting older used cars from South Korea.”

“Anything else?”

“What exactly are you referring to?”

Lee Sangsub glanced at Kang Jin following Choi Donghae’s response.

“How about you, Kang Jin?”

As Lee Sangsub spoke, Kang Jin heard Park Chungman’s voice chiming in his ear.

“Africa! I frequently visited there during my younger days.”

Park Chungman’s comment caught Kang Jin off guard, prompting Park Chungman to elaborate further. Kang Jin processed this information and relayed it to Lee Sangsub:

“Each African country has different VAT rates and tariffs. For example, South Africa only allows imports of cars less than ten years old, and their procedures are quite complicated. Ghana is considered one of the most stable and promising countries in West Africa, making it ideal for exporting used vehicles.”

Lee Sangsub regarded Kang Jin with newfound respect before asking, “You know your stuff.”

“But why the sudden interest in Africa?”

“We lost one of our projects, so we need to find new opportunities. Plus, there’s something else.”

Lee Sangsub took out a file and handed it to Kang Jin.

“Make a copy for Choi Donghae as well, so you both can review its potential together.”

Kang Jin accepted the file from Lee Sangsub and headed towards the break room with Choi Donghae, where they had a photocopier.

After making copies, Kang Jin distributed one set to Choi Donghae.

At 5 PM, Kang Jin stood up.

“I’m heading home now.”

Lee Sangsub looked at him.

“You’re…leaving already?”

“It’s quitting time,” replied Kang Jin matter-of-factly. However, he wasn’t naive either. With his keen observational skills and background in psychology, he couldn’t miss the subtle discomfort among his colleagues.

But…

It’s not like we’re getting paid overtime…but I guess I should stay.

Besides, she had nothing else to do. Kang Jin glanced at Choi Donghae, who remained seated unlike his first day on the job when he’d been overly attentive to others’ cues.

“Well then, see you tomorrow.” Kang Jin bowed and bid farewell to everyone before leaving the office.

Lim Ho-jin turned to Choi Donghae after Kang Jin departed. “You can go home too, Mr. Choi.”

“What? But I…”

“It’s fine. Even if you stayed, all you’d be doing is photocopying work. Go ahead and leave.”

With Lim Ho-jin’s permission, Choi Donghae looked at Lee Sangsub briefly before standing up.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As Choi Donghae exited the office, Lee Sangsub pursed his lips.

“Our intern from the restaurant sure stands out among other interns, doesn’t he? How come he gets off earlier than me?”

Lim Ho-jin responded to Lee Sangsub’s comment, “Enough with the nonsense. Wrap up your remaining tasks quickly, and let’s clock out.”

“Understood.”

Following Lim Ho-jin’s instruction, Lee Sangsub and the other employees began organizing their paperwork.

At a restaurant, Kang Jin had his mouth wide open. Naturally, it was Kang Jin’s face, but Heo Yeonwook controlled the hand holding the acupuncture needle near a pressure point on Kang Jin’s face.

With Kang Jin’s hand firmly grasped, Heo Yeonwook positioned the needle close to his eye.

“How does that feel?”

“It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“That’s because I’m applying it gently. However…”

Heo Yeonwook maintained control over Kang Jin’s hand while subtly rotating the needle. As soon as he did, Kang Jin winced from the sudden pain.

“Aaah!”

“It seems like you’ve been doing a lot of paperwork today. The muscles around your eyes are quite tense.”

“Yes, it’s causing me a lot of discomfort.”

“But acupuncture can be very effective.”

Kang Jin nodded and raised his hand to touch above his head.

“Huh? Are you placing needles there too?”

“It should help clear your mind after insertion.”

“Will that also hurt?”

“Don’t think about pain; focus on the refreshing sensation instead.”

As Heo Yeonwook spoke, Kang Jin grimaced. It felt prickly at first but quickly turned painful.

“It does hurt.”

“The needle I’m using now has appeared multiple times on variety shows. Apparently, whenever celebrities complained about the pain during treatment, viewer ratings skyrocketed.”

“You’ve been on TV before?”

“Of course. I mean…”

Kang Jin squinted as Heo Yeonwook started rambling about himself again. Despite his casual tone, it was clear from his words that the acupuncture needles were quite painful. However, for every bit of discomfort, he felt equally refreshed, so it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Besides, all he had to do was lie still and let the needles work their magic… It was like experiencing a luxurious spa treatment.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the door opened.

Click.

Kang Jin turned slightly at the sound, noticing someone entering the room. It was Lim Ho-jin.

“Huh?”

“What?”

Both men simultaneously voiced their confusion. Kang Jin was taken aback by Lim Ho-jin’s unexpected visit, while Lim Ho-jin was startled by the sight of Kang Jin with needles sticking out of his face and head.

Kang Jin was puzzled because he hadn’t expected Lim Ho-jin to visit, while Lim Ho-jin was startled by the needles sticking out of Kang Jin’s face and head.

After briefly staring at each other, Kang Jin decided to sit up first.

“Manager!” At Kang Jin’s call, Lim Ho-jin approached him.

“Were you…using those needles?”

“Huh? Well…I felt quite tired today.”

As Kang Jin glanced over at Heo Yeonwook, his tone turned apologetic.

“You should have let them stay for a bit longer…”

Contrary to what Kang Jin said, however, Heo Yeonwook began removing the needles one by one using Kang Jin’s hands. Unaware of this, Lim Ho-jin watched with amazement.

The needles are so high on his head that I can barely see them, but Manager Kang is taking them out effortlessly.

However, although invisible to Kang Jin’s eyes, Heo Yeonwook could clearly see each needle, so it wasn’t an issue. After all, Kang Jin was merely lending his hands for this procedure.

In any case, guided by Heo Yeonwook, Kang Jin began extracting needles one by one. Finally, after removing even those placed beneath Lim Ho-jin’s eyes, Kang Jin carefully placed them into a container.

Lim Ho-jin observed Kang Jin and remarked, “Impressive work with the acupuncture.”

“I only use it lightly on myself when I’m tired. By the way, are you done for the day?”

“Yes, since the interns have finished their shifts, we should also wrap up.” Lim Ho-jin glanced at the dining area before taking a seat. “I plan to grab a quick bite here; is that okay?”

“Of course! What would you like?” Kang Jin asked.

“By any chance…can you make spicy pepper soybean stew?”

“Spicy pepper soybean stew?”

It was a dish Kang Jin had never heard of. But perhaps…

It might be in the cooking practice room.

With that thought, Kang Jin nodded affirmatively.

“Sure thing. So for the spicy pepper soybean stew…”

Lim Ho-jin shook his head as Kang Jin looked expectantly for additional orders.

“Just add water to rice and serve it with the stew, please. Oh! Don’t worry about the cost; I’ll pay extra for the rice.”

Smiling, Lim Ho-jin reassured Kang Jin, who then nodded and headed into the kitchen. Once inside, he opened the cooking practice room to begin searching.

‘Huh? What?’

Kang Jin’s expression froze slightly as he realized there was no recipe for spicy pepper soybean stew in the practice room.

“Hmm?”

Despite countless dishes from Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and even Western cuisines being documented in the cooking practice room, someone had ordered a dish not included within its pages.